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Author's Note: I was planning on posting this chapter yesterday but I got sidetracked. More importantly, I was reading some Whateley stuff and lost track of time. That universe can absorb you if you're not careful. I was talking a bit about this story with someone and I apologize if its taking a bit long to get to the point, I fear that's my writing curse lol. I'd like to thank Nyssa for all her editing work :) Secondary Note:I DO NOT WANT CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM IN COMMENTS FOR THE LAST DAMN TIME. READ MY END NOTE. SEND IT TO ME IN PMs.

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3.

Mr. Spencer laughed.

He and his wife were currently discussing one of their previous vacations. I tried my best to pay attention but at the same time to stay out of their business too. So far I had let them do most of the talking. It was a welcome distraction from the more recent silence we’d been having. I was trying my hardest to let these people have their space. They were, after all, strangers to me. Letting them laugh and talk without interrupting was my way letting them feel more comfortable.

It was making me feel less comfortable too.

It helped that I had my phone.

It also distracted me from the bland landscape outside the window.

We were currently driving through Pennsylvania, about three hours into our drive. We would make a stop for the night in Maryland before moving onto Virginia in the morning. I tried to distract myself as we drove, but was finding it increasingly difficult. Looking out the window only added to my boredom. It might have been more interesting if we’d been driving through the state proper, but we were on the interstate currently. There was nothing but fields and trees as far as the eye could see. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen so much green. An hour ago I was excited to see it. After all, growing up in the city I rarely got to see the countryside.

Now I was sick of it.

It didn’t help that they kept trying to engage me in their conversation.

“Have you ever been to the beach before?”

I sighed.

Here we go again.

“Once,” I said, remembering it fondly. “With the Mitchells”

I almost said my parents but stopped myself.

I saw her smile in the rear-view mirror.

“That’s the family you lived with when you were ten?”

I nodded.

Give the woman a gold star for reading my file.

“They were going to adopt you right?”

I clenched my fist.

Of course, I made sure she didn’t see. I didn’t want her to think she struck a chord.

In the short period of time that I’d been with these people, I discovered a couple of things. One, they were trying too hard. They were trying to make a good first impression and it showed. They were both acting far too nice for their own good. I knew enough about people now to know when it was an act. They were hiding something from me. I’m sure it was nothing sinister though. I knew how to spot that too. I’d had a few experiences with it. Say what you will, but people come in all kinds and most are pretty decent. There are a few bad eggs though. There are also a few foster parents out there that are looking to cash in on their kids. They play a role, act a part, then cash in the monthly check. Generally on booze or material possessions. I’d seen it once or twice and I’d heard some pretty horrible stories over the years. Not every foster parent out there was looking to give an unfortunate child a home.

The Spencers didn’t appear to be the scheming type though.

But there was something about them.

Mentioning the Mitchells, for instance.

I thought I saw the corner of Mrs. Spencer’s mouth twitch.

Almost as if she was jealous?

“I didn’t think there were many beaches in Grover,” she said, laughing.

It was almost condescending.

I forced a smile. “It wasn’t Grover.”

It was the Finger Lakes. I didn’t tell them that of course. It was none of their business. I couldn’t help but smile thinking about it though. We spent a whole week there over the summer. It was one of the best weeks of my life. The vacation itself should have cemented itself as the best moment in my life, but that was the icing on the cake. The greatest moment of the trip was when I got Charlie. He was my dog. Arguably my best friend in the whole world. Well, at least for the very short period of time the two of us spent with one another. I’m not going to lie. It broke my heart when I had to leave that puppy behind.

I refused to let Tori talk about him.

He was almost six now, I guess.

I wouldn’t even let her show me pictures.

It was just too painful.

I started to tear up.

Shit.

I cursed again for cursing. I hated to swear. Mrs. Price used to scold me constantly for it. Apparently, I was too smart for it. According to her, only ignorant people swore. Well, it was a good thing I was only doing it in my head. Looking at the Spencers, I could see they were the type of people that might not tolerate it.

“Are you ok, sweetie?”

I turned my head from her. “I’m fine.”

She started talking again but I tuned her out.

I wasn’t trying to be rude, but she started on about a vacation she took to the beach when she was a girl. It didn’t sound all that interesting. She was about ten minutes into the story when she mentioned my mother.

“She loved the water,” she was saying.

I scoffed.

Define irony.

“Is something funny?”

I gave her a genuine smile this time. “Most not be hereditary, the love for water I mean.”

She gave me a sad smile. “Ummm, they said you’re afraid...”

I cut her off. “Yes.”

I didn’t need to be reminded.

I saw the look on her face. Interrupting her had hurt her feelings. I almost cursed aloud but stopped myself.

“Sorry,” I said and meant it.

She reached behind the seat and awkwardly fumbled for my hand. I met her halfway, she squeezed mine. “It’s ok, sweetie. No one said any of this was going to be easy.”

“It’ll get better though, kiddo,” said her husband, speaking for the first time in a while. “There’s just going to be a slow adjustment period.”

It was slowly starting to make some sense now.

“That’s why we’re going to Virginia Beach?”

His wife gave my hand another gentle squeeze.

She didn’t have to say anything though.

It was enough of a confirmation.

The promised stop for the night that Mr. Spencer mentioned was in Maryland.

We stayed at a little rest stop motel.

The stay was pretty uneventful. The place had been pretty dingy. After being on the road for nearly five hours though, it was a nice rest. It was all pretty ordinary and boring though. There was a nice little diner attached to the rest stop too. We had dinner there when we arrived, took our bags into the motel and all but crashed. It was just as well because we were on the road bright and early the next day. I had a fairly restless sleep. It was strangely quiet. I was used to a lot of noise, what with living in a building with at least twenty other kids. When I felt like I finally fell asleep, we were waking up again to continue our journey.

We arrived at Virginia Beach at midday.

My face was glued to the window.

This was, after all, the first time I saw the ocean.

It was amazing.

I’d never seen so much water before.

It was so blue.

I felt my hands twitch slightly. All that water, it was a pretty scary thing.

Sensing my apprehension, Mrs. Spencer tried to distract my mind.

“That’s our hotel resort over there,” she said, pointing.

The resort was amazing.

It had a large central building with several smaller bungalows dotted along the beach. All of them had this fake bamboo and thatched roof look to them. I’d see something similar in a movie once. Of course, those places had been the real deal. This resort was clearly trying to sell an experience to the tourists. I didn’t mind though. As long as we got one as far from the water as humanly possible.

We pulled the rental up near the large building. Mr. Spencer did all the talking.

We managed to get one of the prized bungalows on the beach.

Not exactly my idea, but they were very sought after according to the receptionist.

Mr. Spencer must have had some pull.

As we were walking out, he handed me and his wife a card.

“This is for the room.”

I pocketed the card.

The two adults excitedly talked about this mini-vacation. Me, I kept staring at the ocean. As we walked along the wooden path toward the beach, I felt my apprehension grow. Stepping onto the sand, I was nearly blinded by the whiteness of it. I didn’t know sand could be that bright? I shielded my eyes the best I could and followed my guardians toward Bungalow #3, our home away from whatever home for the next couple of days. Hopefully less. My birthday was tomorrow. I was hoping they’d get their fill of this place by then and we’d head to Richmond.

Away from the ocean.

Well, as far from it as the city allowed.

“Are you going to be ok this close to the water?” asked my aunt, concerned.

I surprised myself by thinking of her as my aunt.

So far she’d only been Mrs. Spencer.

It was inevitable I suppose.

I looked toward the ocean, trying very hard not to shudder. “It’s fine from this distance.”

It was, barely.

Our bungalow was just far enough away.

She came up next to me, squeezing my shoulder.

“It’s only going to be for a couple of nights. If it gets too much for you then we’ll move to a hotel further inland.”

I smiled and thanked her.

I also reassured her that it would ok.

Hopefully, I wasn’t lying. The last thing I needed was to have a panic attack here. Especially with all these people. Though the resort was far enough away from the shoreline, the beach was fairly crowded. It might have been a really lovely place if not for the ocean. It was strange though. I didn’t feel nearly as bad as I thought I would. Looking at the ocean now, I felt almost at peace. It was strange. This was the first time I’d ever felt calm near water. Especially such a large amount of it. Maybe it was only pools that did it to me? I shook that thought off immediately. I could clearly remember being scared around the lakes on that vacation all those years ago?

Maybe I was outgrowing the fear?

I bit my lip.

Maybe I should test it?

“Something wrong?” asked my aunt, probably wondering why I was standing there like an idiot.

Now or never.

“I think I want to walk around the beach for a bit, explore.”

She paused for a moment, as if she was about to say something but changed her mind at the last minute. She gave me a gentle smile instead. “I don’t see anything wrong with that. Just try to be back before nightfall if you can.”

I thanked her and handed her my bag.

I took my laptop with me though.

I wanted to have a quick check-in with Tori.

I found a secluded place not too far from the resort. It was in a little picnic area. I found a table as far away from the other vacationers as I could. Setting up my laptop with the free Wi-fi, I finally got a hold of her. As soon as her face appeared, I smiled.

She glared at me. “Where the hell have you been?”

I sighed. “On the road.”

I didn’t get a chance to tell her what was going on. Yesterday we were driving most of the day and the day before when we left, I was a bit out of it. So, naturally, I had to fill her in on all the gory little details.

“So you decided to go with them then?”

I shrugged. “I suppose I didn’t really have a choice.”

They’re family.

Though I didn’t tell her that.

She was the ONLY family I needed.

Well, she and her parents of course.

“You always have a choice. I think going with them was the right one.”

The jury was still out on that one.

We started to talk about her day for the last couple of days. She was halfway through a grueling cheer practice session when a group of bikini-clad girls ran behind me. She raised an eyebrow: “Where are you exactly; you never said?”

I didn’t?

“Virginia Beach,” I said with an eye roll.

She knew how much I LOVED the water.

“You’re kidding!”

I sighed. “Nope. Apparently, this is in celebration of my birthday.”

I said “celebration” with air quotes. I think it was just an excuse for the Spencers to come to the beach.

Her smile got enormous. “Cass, Virginia Beach is like six hours from here!”

She was practically jumping up and down in excitement.

While she was doing that, I pulled up a map on my phone.

I knew Tori lived on an island now. It was part of a much larger chain of islands off the coast of South Carolina. The Sea Islands. What I hadn’t realized was how close they were to me now. It felt like fate was dragging me here – the thought of being so close to her, to possibly seeing her and her parents again. Of maybe seeing Charlie again? I started to feel her excitement too. My family. I could go see my family. Finally, after all these years, I could go home.

My excitement faded quickly as reality set in.

“We’re moving to Richmond, how far away is that?”

“Not sure. Probably not far. It doesn’t matter though, you’re close to me now. Close to us. There’s no longer this massive distance anymore...”

She was still excited. I couldn’t help but smile at that.

While I was smiling at her animatedly going on and on about how cool all of this was, I couldn’t help but notice I was being watched. I noticed them as soon as I sat down – a group of kids around my age – but I was hoping they didn’t see me. Out of curiosity though, I kept looking their way. It was hard not to. There were at least three girls in the group, wearing bikinis. They had tanned, toned bodies and filled out those suits nicely. The two guys were hardbodies too. Surfer types. Not the type of guys that would enjoy me eyeing their girls.

Now they were watching me.

Great.

It didn’t take long for one of the girls to break off from the “pack”.

I groaned.

“Something wrong?” asked Tori, craning her neck to see if she could see behind me.

She couldn’t.

A moment later, the bikini-clad blonde came sauntering over.

“Hey there!” she said in a chipper voice. “I’m Brit, you’ve been sitting over here a while, all alone...”

I wanted to roll my eyes but that would have been rude.

Instead, I flashed her a fake smile. “I’m not alone. I’m talking to my sister.”

I pointed to Tori on the screen. She waved like an idiot.

Brit looked at the screen. “Oh...well, I guess I don’t want to interrupt then...”

I sighed.

Thank God for that.

“I gotta get going. I’ll call you later, bro!”

I wanted to stop her but before I could she closed the chat.

Damn her.

Brit smiled big. “Perfect! C’mon, I’ll introduce you to my friends!”

Yay me!

I shut down my laptop, returned it to its bag and followed her over to her table. I was dragging my feet a bit, but in truth, it’s not like I had to go. I could have easily told her “No” or just walked away. Instead, I was following. Maybe a small part of me wanted to meet them. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d just hung out with a group of kids my own age. Back home, I avoided most people. Besides talking to Tori almost every day, I didn’t socialize much. I woke, went to school, did my homework then went to bed. I did it day after day. Even meal times at the home I usually sat alone. I convinced myself that I preferred it that way. I also convinced myself that others didn’t want me around.

The thing is, I never really tried.

Walking up to the table, Brit smiled big. “Guys...this is….umm...”

“Bo,” I said, giving them the name I made up for myself.

One of the girls scrunched up her nose. “Is that a real name?”

I shrugged. “It is today.”

One of the guys laughed, the others, including Brit, stared at me funny.

Brit quickly did the intros. The two other girls were Mandy and Claire. Mandy was the one that commented about my “name”. The two surfer guys were Brody and Dave. Dave was the one that laughed. I tried to be polite, but honestly, they all intimidated me. They were beautiful people and I barely compared. Especially to the guys. Their height, their chiseled abs. I looked pathetic in comparison. It didn’t help that Brody was staring at me like he wanted to squish me. Dave was staring too but his gaze felt different. It made me a bit uncomfortable actually.

“Well scoot over,” said Brit, making room at the table for me.

I sat next to her.

She giggled.

After I sat, their conversation started. I quickly felt out of the loop. From what I could tell, they were from somewhere inland. They never said where. They were on vacation, this was the last leg of it. They were obviously staying at the resort, happy to be in such a beautiful place. I only half paid attention to all of it though. I felt out of place. More so because they didn’t bother to include me in their talking. It didn’t take me very long to figure out why I was here. Brit made it very clear when she grabbed my hand. They were all paired up. She was the odd woman out.

I felt so used.

I thought about leaving but I decided to go with it.

After all, we were only going to be here another day or so.

“So Bo, where are you from?”

It was Dave who was asking.

“New York, originally,” I said without giving it too much thought. “I’m moving to Richmond though.”

“That’s a drastic change.”

I shrugged. “Story of my life.”

He started to ask about my life but I wasn’t ready to tell a complete stranger about me, so I lied. I told him my parents died recently, and I was now living with my aunt and uncle. Not an outright lie, but it worked. It got me some sympathy, especially from Brit. It was kind of nice having a beautiful, half-naked girl press her chest against my arm. I certainly wasn’t going to complain. Me opening up to Dave, though, shifted the whole conversation toward me. Everyone was suddenly interested in New York. I tried my best to field questions, but as soon as they realized I lived nowhere near the City, they lost interest again.

Well, all of them except Dave.

He still peppered me with questions.

I answered them as best as I could. He mainly wanted to know about where I grew up and things like that. I lied well. I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t want these people to know the truth. They didn’t have the right to it. It wasn’t as glamorous as their lives either. So a few white lies between strangers was nothing. It seemed to work. He eventually lost interest too. He went back to hanging on his girlfriend which was just fine with me. Especially when the group got bored just sitting around and talking. It quickly became clear that they wanted to move their “party” elsewhere and I was free to tag along.

We moved from one place to another.

Not staying very long anywhere.

They were free spirits in a way.

We ended up at a pool for a while. It was one of those large, in-ground ones that a lot of hotels had. It felt a bit counterproductive to me though. This resort was on the beach after all. Why did they have a pool when the ocean was a stone’s throw away? When I mentioned it to the group, I got a lot of blank stares. Clearly, they thought nothing was wrong. Just as well. I’m just glad they didn’t ask me to go into the water with them. I was perfectly happy lounging in one of the poolside deck chairs. Brit did ask me why I didn’t want to go into the water. When I explained to her I didn’t have a suit, she gave me a funny look. It occurred to me then that I told them I was on vacation. So I quickly explained to her that I wasn’t a very strong swimmer and that got her to go away. Thankfully, we didn’t stay at the pool long.

We moved from there to a little bar area.

We stayed there until the sun went down.

I was sitting with Brit when the sun finally dipped below the horizon. She was resting her head on my shoulder. It was nice. If I could, I would have sat here for the rest of my life. It was a bit strange though. I’d only known this girl for half a day and yet she was determined to make me hers. If I had to guess, I was convinced she felt sorry for me somehow. I mean, why else would she have gone out of her way to get to know me? Most girls back home never gave me the time of day. Not that I went out of my way to get their attention. I was fine with being single. There was, in fact, only one girl that I ever had a crush on. Her name was Beth. She was my lab partner last year. My silent crush was a far as it went though.

Thinking about her made me smile.

“You going to the bonfire tonight?”

I shrugged. “I didn’t know there was one.”

“In an hour or so, silly. They do it every night.”

She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

We spent the next hour being lazy on the beach. When the bonfire crowd started to gather, I felt a bit apprehensive. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been around so many people. Especially my own age. In school, I tried to avoid large gatherings like this. Just as well, Brit and her friends were further back from the biggest group of people. The thing is, I thought I was going to hate it, especially being this close to the water. Once the food started cooking and the music started, I got lost in the excitement. Someone brought fireworks out about an hour or two into the party. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the drinking. Especially when Brit passed me a bottle.

“I’m only sixteen,” I said, causing her to stare in shock.

“Shit, I’m sorry...I thought...”

I sighed.

So that’s how it was.

After that, she was a bit standoffish. Well, all good things, I suppose. Her clingy behavior all but evaporated after that. Twenty minutes later, I was alone. She drifted over to a surfer who was all muscles and tan. Just as well. I was starting to feel a little under the weather. Maybe it was all the sun. Or maybe my phobia was finally starting to catch up to me. I’d been sitting here close to the water for about two hours or so. I pulled out my phone and cursed. It was longer than I thought.

Almost midnight now.

How did I lose track of that much time?

Mrs. Spencer was going to kill me.

“You ok?” asked Dave, who sat down next to me.

Where had he come from?

“Not really. I was supposed to be back hours ago...”

He laughed. “Brit bailed, I see. She said you were a child?”

I groaned. “I’m sixteen...”

Dave laughed. “She’s a hypocrite. She’s only seventeen...she made it sound like you were twelve or something.”

Twelve? Wow, that girl has issues.

Dave and I talked a bit more. I was so distracted by our conversation that I didn’t notice it turn midnight during our talk. As soon as it did though, I felt something. I’m not sure how to describe it. There was a tingle that ran up my arms. The air seemed to shift too. Before I could only smell the smoke from the fire but now I could smell something else. Something salty. Was that the sea? How could I smell the ocean through all the smoke? What’s more, I felt a bit lightheaded.

“You ok?” he asked, concerned. “You look a little green?”

I smirked. “I think I inhaled some of that smoke.”

I started to cough. Without thinking, he helped me to my feet and led me away from the fire. As we walked, I couldn’t help but notice how much bigger he was. When his hand touched my arm, I felt another tingle. I think he felt something too because he gave me a strange look.

“You’re a blonde?” he asked, confused.

I chuckled, still a bit out of it. “Yeah, I just dye it...”

I brushed some hair behind my ear.

Had it always been that long?

I giggled.

Something was wrong.

“I think…,” I coughed, my throat felt raw. “I think...I need to head back...”

“You want some help?”

I waved him off. “You go back to the bonfire, I’ll be fine.”

I stumbled my way down the beach. When I reached the wooden path, I was barely able to stand. I wasn’t sure what had come over me. One minute I was fine, and now the world was spinning. I took each step as if I was walking underwater. My body felt heavy. I’m not sure how I got back to the bungalow. When I reached the door, I pulled out my key-card. I almost dropped it as I fumbled to swipe it to open the door. As soon as I got the door open, I stumbled inside.

I heard someone shout my name but it was lost.

The world swirled around me.

Then blackness.

Author’s note: As I’m sure all of you know, comments are life blood to an author. I’m not begging or demanding, but I certainly would appreciate anything you have to say (or ask). It doesn’t have to be long and involved, just give me your reaction to the story. Anything critical you have to say, PLEASE do so in a PM. Pointing out people's flaws or mistakes in a comment is hurtful and NOT appreciated.Thanks in advance...EOF